Electronic devices, especially portable electronic devices, are typically required to have a sufficiently strong structure in order to ensure safety, reliability, and/or durability pertaining to the handling and use of the electronic devices, in addition to meeting functionality and/or performance requirements.
Further, size (or form factor) and weigh minimization also have become important requirements in designing and manufacturing electronic devices. Among other reasons, miniaturization and weigh reduction may provide significant advantages such as, for example, improved portability and/or reduced costs for storage, packaging, and/or transportation.
Moreover, aesthetic and tactile characteristics of electronic devices also have become more and more important. For example, buyers and users may expect surfaces (e.g., enclosure surfaces) of electronic devices to be scratch and dent resistant. Buyers and users may also expect electronic devices to look good and to have a comfortable, quality feel.
However, material properties, e.g., density, elasticity, yield strengths, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, etc., tend to cause various physical constraints in designing and manufacturing electronic devices and components. In the prior art, designers of electronic devices may have had difficulties designing electronic device components with the right materials to enable/help electronic devices to satisfy all the strength, weight, size, aesthetic/cosmetic, and tactile requirements and expectations with a generally affordable cost.
For example, materials typically utilized in user interface components of electronic devices may include plastics, such as polycarbonate, nylon, and ABS, which may be associated with lower cost, lighter weight, and a higher variety of visual characteristics (e.g., colors, patterns, etc.), compared with the cost, weight and appearance of a metal. However, a plastic component may need a relatively large dimension (e.g., thickness) to provide sufficient strength. Further, a plastic component may not be able to satisfactorily resist scratch.
Metals, such as steel, titanium, aluminum, and magnesium, also may be utilized in forming user interface components of electronic devices. Metals may provider higher strength and higher scratch resistance than plastics. However, metals may incur higher material and manufacturing costs. Metals may also significantly add weights to electronic devices. Light metals, such as titanium, aluminum, etc., may be utilized to minimize the weight problem. However, light metals may have a high cost and/or may need an undesirably large dimension to provide sufficient dent resistance and strength.